Page:Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies.djvu/150

114 my stick breaking, it escaped. We set fire to some dead grass and fern, which burnt rapidly, and ignited some of the dead logs with which the ground was encumbered. In this way, the land is often advantageously cleared of unproductive vegetable matter; but it requires many burnings to destroy the logs, many of which, either partially consumed, or entire, are scattered in all directions over this Island. In the afternoon we accompanied E. Curr and G. Robson to Chilton, a farm house on the Surrey Hills, 19 miles distant. Three miles of the road is through dark Myrtle-forest, the rest over grassy hills, on which Stringy Bark trees are thinly scattered. The numerous brooks of this part of the country are margined with Tea-tree, Sassafras, Blackwood, and Telopea; the flowers of the last abound in honey, which we found easy to extract by means of the slender tubular stems of grass.

19th. After visiting a pretty little opening in the forest, we returned to the Hampshire Hills, by a place called Long Lea, where there is a single hut.

20th. In company with E. Curr and G. Robson we visited an open place in the forest, called St. Marys Plain; not because of being level, but because it is clear of wood, except a few clumps of Silver Wattle, on the hills, and lines of Tea Tree, on the margins of the brooks by which it is intersected. It is bounded by a lofty forest, and is a spot of great beauty. One of the brooks tumbles over a basaltic rock, and forms a very pretty waterfall, about forty feet high, and thirty wide. It is decorated with Tea Tree, at the top and sides; and at the bottom, a shrubby Aster, with toothed leaves, is loaded so profusely with pure white blossoms as to bend gracefully in all directions. The grassy hills are besprinkled with Buttercups, Blue Speedwell, Flax, Stylidium, and little white flowers resembling English Daisies. Several Brush Kangaroos sprang from their hiding-places as we approached them.—The road to this place is through a succession of Myrtle and Stringy-bark forest. The track up an ascending portion of the former, may be compared to a staircase of wreathed roots.

21st. Edward Curr returning to Circular Head, J.